Homemade Fabric Softener Recipe

Recently I found this recipe for homemade fabric softener.  So I thought I'd try and I share it with my readers.  Make sure you don't make the mistake I did with my first batch, by using shampoo.

Ingredient
6 cups boiling water
3 cups of distilled white vinegar
2 cups of conditioner (hair)


1.  In a large bowl, combine all three ingredients together and mix.  Whisk gently or you will get bubbles.

2.  Pour into your container and measure out as you would with store bought fabric softener.

Citrus Delight Recipe

Since starting this quest to get more fruits and vegetables into my diet the healthy way.  I have decided to juice.  I will be sharing my findings with my readers and the recipes I try.

This is the first recipe I tried.

Citrus Delight

1 orange
1/4 grapefruit
1/4 lemon


Chop all ingredients and put into blender, be sure to remove the rind.  Blend on high.  I found the best blender to use is Ninja blender and food processor.  Of course a real juice will work great but are really expensive and why waste the pulp, its all good for you.

This was really tasty but not enough.  I personally don't really juice but puree and then add water so its more drinkable.  This first recipe just drank it as it was juice, pulp and all.  I didn't add water but will next time.

Source: fernsnutrition.com

Happy Juicing!

The Best Homemade Popcorn

Apparently, my family thinks I make the best homemade popcorn in town. 

So I thought would share my recipe with my readers.

Ingredients

3 Tablespoons oil

1/3 cup corn kernels

sea salt, season to taste

parmesan cheese,  dried in shaker bottle

I pop corn on the stovetop and use 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of canola oil.  I add 1/3 cup of pop corn and cover with lid and use the hightest heat. When they start to pop, then shake pan vigorously back and forth on burn until the popping dies down.  As soon as it stops popping I pour it into a bowl.  But only half of the batch I pour into a bowl and sprinkle sea salt and parmesan cheese over the pop corn in the bowl.  Add the rest of the pop corn and sprinkle sea salt and parmesan cheese on the rest.  Shake lightly and serve.

Gluten Free Pecan Crust Recipe

This is pie crust is great for pumpkin pie, but it can be used for other custard/pudding fillings. It really helps to start out with pecans from the freezer, because then the butter blends through but quickly sets up so the "mass" is pliable.

Prep Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 8 minutes

Ingredients:
1 cup pecan pieces (frozen)
2 T melted butter
2 T sugar equivalent from artificial sweetener of your choice

Preparation:
1. Take pecans out of the freezer and measure them into a food processor (you can use a blender, but be careful not to blend them down too small). Pulse the processor until the largest pieces are as big as lentils or split peas.

2. Add the butter and the sweetener . Blend until it's mixed evenly.

3. Dump it into a pie pan, and push with your fingers to cover the bottom and sides. It should be the right consistency to mold the crust to the pie pan evenly.

Nutritional Analysis: Whole crust is 4.5 grams effective carbohydrate plus 10.5 grams fiber, 10 grams of protein, 101 grams fat, 950 calories.


Source: about.com/lowcarbdiet

Chinese Fried Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 - 2 green onions, as desired
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Pepper to taste
• garlic powder to taste
• garlic powder to taste
• 4 tablespoons oil for stir-frying, or as needed (olive or canola)
• 4 cups cold cooked rice
• 1 - 2 tablespoons light soy sauce , as desired
• frozen peas and carrots or mixed vegetables.

Preparation:

Wash and finely chop the green onion. Lightly beat the eggs with the salt and pepper.

Heat a wok or frying pan and add 2 tablespoons oil. When the oil is hot, add the eggs. Cook, stirring, until they are lightly scrambled but not too dry. Remove the eggs and clean out the pan.

Add 2 tablespoons oil.  Add green onions and vegetables and cook until ligthly cooked and still crisp. Add the rice. Stir-fry for a few minutes, using chopsticks or a wooden spoon to break it apart. Stir in the soy sauce  as desired.  Add lots of garlic powder and onion powder to taste.

When the rice is heated through, add the scrambled egg back into the pan. Mix thoroughly. Stir in the green onion. Serve hot.

Add optional : turkey bacon or pork bacon  cooked  and broken into pieces and  cooked chicken cubed or beef. Then this will be come a whole meal. 

Steak Stir Fry

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon beef bouillon granules
• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1 pound boneless sirloin steak, cut into thin strips
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger or Chinese 5 spice (bottled)
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 1 frozen bag of stir fry vegetables of your choice
• 1 onion sliced or  5 green onions chopped
• Hot cooked rice

Directions

1. Dissolve bouillon in water. Combine the cornstarch and soy sauce until smooth; add to bouillon. Set aside.
2. Toss beef with garlic, ginger and pepper.
3. In a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat, stir-fry beef in 1 tablespoon oil until cooked as desired; remove and keep warm.
4. Heat remaining oil; stir-fry vegetables until crisp-tender. Stir soy sauce mixture and add to the skillet; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Return meat to pan and heat through. Serve over rice.

Rules For Making a Better Pizza

Anyone can do better in their home by combining a handful of fresh ingredients and following a few simple steps. And believe it or not, pizza made the right way can make for a truly well-balanced meal. Preheat the oven and follow along.

Pizza Rule #1

The Hotter, the Better! True Italian pizzas are cooked in about 2 minutes in 1,000 degree fahrenheit ovens. Preheat your oven for 30 minutes at 500 degrees fahrenheit (the max temp for most home ovens) for a light, crispy crust.

Pizza Rule #2

Fire Up the Grill!  Have your ingredients ready, slide the raw dough directly onto the hot grates, and grill until lightly chared, about 4 minutes. Flip and immediately add sauce and cheese, then cover the grill and wait for the cheese to melt.

Pizza Rule #3

Go Easy on the Toppings! Pizza isn't about how much cheese you can cram onto a slice; it's about the subtle interplay of bread, sauce, cheese, and topping. Don't use more than 2 ounces of cheese and a few pieces of meat or vegetable per slice.

Pizza Rule #4

Break Out of the Box! Nontraditional ingredients—barbecue sauce, chorizo, pistachios—can elevate a humble pie to new heights.

Source: MensHealth.com, "Eat This Not That" book

Our Valentine's Day Surprise

For Valentine's Day my granddaughter LaRyn and I made homemade chocolate candies for all of our family. So last night we made chocolate treats: white, milk and dark chocolate. We used a the chocolate factory kit that came with molds. We made the girls chocolate heart suckers and the boys chocolate spoons with hearts on them. We dipped pretzels, strawberries and cherries. Yummy!


Here's our white chocolate treats.



We also made milk chocolate and dark chocolate treats.



Granddaughter Mally could not wait for Valentines Day she wanted to taste our treats! Yummy! They passed her approval. LOL


Here's the cooks. My granddaughter has her own apron but its at home so she had to wear my extra. I need to have an extra child one on hand to my helpers.

Here's a Valentine Song for you: "Time in a Bottle" My husband's favorite!

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

SERVES 8

Ingredients
2-3 chicken breasts
2 cups chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup onion
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 large bay leaf
8 cups water or chicken broth
1 lb dried egg noodles
1 tsp dill
salt and pepper

Directions
1 Boil chicken, onions, garlic and bay leaf in broth or water until chicken can be pulled away from the bones; I prefer broth for a richer taste.
2 Remove chicken and cool until you can handle it.
3 Add the celery, carrots and dill to the broth.
4 Cut cooled chicken into bite size pieces.
5 Return chicken to the broth.
6 Simmer until veggies are almost tender.
7 Add pasta to the chicken and veggies.
8 Simmer until pasta and veggies are cooked.
9 Add salt and pepper to taste.

Great recipe, in the winter months this is a family favorite. Great when sick or ill as the steam and broth have such healing properties. This can also be made in a crockpot and cooked all day just add noodles in evening and cook until noodles are done. You could even use a whole chicken instead of the chicken breasts. From Recipezaar